How can I get enough vitamins?

You can get plenty of vitamins from fresh fruit and vegetables. Try to eat five portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. To ring the changes, you could try eating raw vegetables as a snack, or added to salads.

When cooking vegetables, steam, bake or microwave them, rather than boiling them, and don't overcook them. This will retain as many nutrients as possible (Bond 2011).

You could also take a pregnancy multivitamin, though a supplement is no substitute for a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables.

You only need two supplements during pregnancy:

10mcg vitamin D throughout pregnancy

folic acid for the first three months of pregnancy (NCCWCH 2008)

Why is iron important during pregnancy?

Iron helps you to make red blood cells for you and your growing baby. You may become anaemic if you don't have enough iron. So try to eat iron-rich foods every day.

Lean red meat, poultry and fish are good sources of iron. Your body can absorb iron most effectively from these foods (EVM 2003).

You can also get some iron from non-meat sources, though your body can’t use the iron from plant foods as easily. Try lentils, leafy green vegetables, wholemeal bread and iron-fortified breakfast cereals. If you have something that contains vitamin C at the same time, such as a glass of orange juice, this will help your body to better absorb the iron (EVM 2003, Garton 2011).

Tannins in tea and coffee can interfere with the absorption of iron, so it's best not to drink these with your meals (Morck et al 1983; Zijp et al 2000, BCMA 2010).

Lunch: cranberry and soft cheese wrap with watercress

Watercress and cranberries are excellent sources of vitamin C.

Ingredients

1 handful dried cranberries

2 tbsp low-fat cream cheese or curd cheese

1 multigrain tortilla wrap

A handful watercress, washed

cherry tomatoes, to serve

Method

Preparation time: five minutes

Mix the cranberries and cream cheese together. Spread over the tortilla wrap, and arrange the watercress on top. Roll up and serve with the cherry tomatoes on the side, and a glass of cranberry juice.

Spread the scotch pancakes with a little blueberry jam. Place a few blueberries on top of the pancakes. Enjoy straight away, with a little creme fraiche, if you like. If you don't like blueberries, substitute with raspberry jam and a few fresh raspberries.

Dinner: tofu and butternut squash flan

This will keep for a couple of days in the fridge. Tofu is a great source of iron and calcium. This dish is also rich in beta-carotene, which you need for a healthy immune system. Serves four.

Ingredients

250g ready-made shortcrust pastry

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large butternut squash

200g tofu, roughly chopped

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

black pepper

1 pomegranate, seeds removed

Method

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: about one hour 15 minutes

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C, or gas mark 6.

Scrub the butternut squash and halve lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and place the squash in a baking tin. Drizzle the squash with a little oil and place in the oven to cook until soft, which takes about 30 minutes to 40 minutes.

Roll out the pastry to fit a 20cm (8in) round flan tin. Gently fry the onion in the oil until softened.

When the squash is soft, remove it from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, before scooping the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the butternut squash flesh and stir in the onion, parsley and tofu. Season with black pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds. Cut the pomegranate open across its middle and, over a bowl, bash each half on the outside with a rolling pin. The seeds should pop out. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Serve the flan hot or at room temperature, with a watercress and orange salad on the side, and new potatoes.

I'm glad that I don't get morning sickness anymore but I really don't enjoy the foods the I want to eat. Its really sicking but I'm ok listening to what baby wants.
Soon but I already tell when baby kicks, its so exciting !

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